Contributors

Thursday, November 20, 2014

It's that time of year again when we call all Turkeys to come visit! Anyway, I'm not going to type up a new Blog about Thanksgiving so here is the one that I did several years ago! Just click on the following link!

Friday, November 14, 2014

OK everyone, here are the recipes that I promised from the "Holiday Culinary Herbs" program that our group presented at the Culinary Herbs" program at the South Texas Botanical Gardens on Saturday, November 8, 2014.

Lois Atwood’s
recipe:

Italian Herb Popcorn

Makes 8 servings

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2 tsps. minced fresh parsley

2 tsps.
minced fresh oregano

2 tsps. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3 quarts popped popcorn

Grated Parmesan cheese

1. Make an
herb butter with butter, parsley, oregano, garlic powder and salt and store in
refrigerator until ready to use.

2. Melt herb butter in a small saucepan, pour over popcorn and
toss to coat. Dust with grated Parmesan cheese.

This is easily
adapted to your favorite flavors.Experiment and see what you like best.

Spray a grill rack with the cooking spray. Preheat the grill to medium-high
heat, 350 degrees F to 400 degrees F. (need this only with fresh corn)

Grill the corn until tender, about 5 minutes per side. Grill the bell and
poblano peppers until blackened slightly and tender, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Set aside to cool. Cut the kernels from the corn cobs and chop the peppers.

In a large bowl, place the beans and cilantro. In a separate bowl, whisk
together the lime juice, chipotle chile powder, cumin and olive oil. Stir in
the corn kernels and chopped peppers, tossing to coat with the dressing. Cover
and chill until ready to serve.

* This is where you can decide how hot you want you dish. Add or
delete chile peppers as desired.

Bring large pot of water to boil and submerge husked ears of
corn in boiling water for. Remove corn once the water returns to boil. Learn How To Boil Corn On The Cob. Let the corn cool slightly and then cut
the kernels from the cobs (Scrape the corn kernels from the ears of corn by
using a sharp kitchen knife and a large cutting board. Cut off the stem end to
give a flat base. Hold the ear, tip end up, then cut downward, removing a few
rows at a time).

In a large bowl, gently stir together the garlic, avocado,
corn, onions, chile pepper, cilantro, parsley, basil, and tomatoes. Add dill
weed, pepper and salt to taste. Add the well drained beans, corn kernels,
Italian salad dressing, and the juice of one small lime. Mix well, cover, and
refrigerate before serving.

Serve
over a lettuce leaf as a salad or with tortilla chips as a dip.Serves many

1
tablespoon grated ginger (or to taste if you think that would be too strong, if
not available use 1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground)

1/8
teaspoon ground cloves

1 small
orange or tangerine put through food processor (optional)

Combine
water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat. Add remaining
ingredients; return to boil.

Reduce
heat and simmer 15 minutes or until apples are tender. Pour into medium glass
mixing bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on sauce.

Cool to
room temperature and refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to blend. Serve at
room temperature.

I always use this recipe as a starting point and change it each
year.Be sure to use small amounts of
your spices first and add or delete to your taste.I also cook quite a bit longer than 15
minutes- until it reaches the consistency you see in the sample.

Alternatives
idea in this could be:

This can
be made with Splenda or half Splenda and half sugar. With recent research on
sugar substitutes I will not use the Splenda in this again.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

I want to extend a great big thank you to Ruth Hoese, Pat Baugh
and Lois Atwood for taking over the "Holiday Culinary Herbs" program that our
group presented at the South Texas Botanical Gardens on last Saturday, November
8. Also I want to give a big thank you to Chef Kevin Argetsinger and his wife
Tammy for his (from what I'm told) wonderful presentation "The Center of
Herbs". The focus was about how we associate different types of food from
different countries and how just a few herbs can change a dish into a completely
different dish! . Also I want to thank Carol Krank with the South Texas
Botanical Gardens for organizing and getting help from the Nueces County Master
Gardeners. The recipes will be posted soon on our Rockport Herbies Blog.
Everyone worked together and the program was very much enjoyed by all of those
attendees. THANK YOU EVERYONE!

Also to let you know about the upcoming Brown Bag Luncheon on
Container Gardening.

On Tuesday, November 18th, Carol
Krank and DeAnna Baumgartner, Nueces Master Gardeners will present the program
“Container Gardening: Plants and plant combinations for great container gardens
for South Texas”. If you have a small area or just want to contain your plants
in a specific area, come find out about Container Gardening.

The program will be presented
from 12:00 (Noon) P.M. until 1:00 P.M. at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Service-Aransas County Office, 892 Airport Road, Rockport. Overflow parking is
next door at the Transfer Station.

Enjoy this free program hosted by
the Aransas/San Patricio Master Gardeners and Texas A&M AgriLife
Extension Aransas County Office. For more information call 361-
790-0103.

I bought a really nice butternut squash at HEB and found this
recipe that I'm fixing sometime this week.

Butternut
Squash and Kaleby The Pioneer Woman

Prep Time:

10 Minutes

Cook Time:

10 Minutes

Difficulty:

Easy

Servings:

8

Ingredients

1/2 whole Butternut Squash;
Peeled, Seeded And Cubed

2 Tablespoons
Butter

1 Tablespoon Olive
Oil

1/2 teaspoon Kosher
Salt

Black Pepper To
Taste

1/4 teaspoon Chili Powder (more
To Taste)

1 bunch Kale, Leaves Torn, Stalks
Discarded

Preparation Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil in a large
skillet over high heat. Add squash and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chili
powder. Cook for several minutes, turning gently with a spatula, until squash is
deep golden brown and tender (but not falling apart.) Remove to a plate and set
aside.

In the same skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over
medium-high heat and add in the kale. Toss it around with tongs and cook it for
3 to 4 minutes. Add in the cooked squash and gently toss together.

Serve as a side dish with chicken or beef, as a main
veggie dish, or as a filling for quesadillas or sandwiches.

Mission Statement

The Rockport Herb & Rose Study Group, founded in March 2003, is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to increasing public knowledge and awareness about herbs and roses.

Come and learn everything you ever wanted to know about herbs. Do you know that there are over 2,000 herbs and that roses are herbs too? Do you know that many of our Texas Native Plants are also herbs? Herbs are used not only for culinary purposes, but also for medicinal, cosmetic and craft purposes.

We meet the second Wednesday of every month at the ACISD Maintenance Department Formerly Rockport Elementary, 619 N. Live Oak Street, Room 14, Rockport, Texas at 10:00 a.m. to discuss all aspects of using and growing herbs including the historical uses of the herbs and tips for successful propagation and cultivation.

We are open to the public. Some members of the group are available as speakers to other audiences